Does your church use Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised as its parliamentary authority, either by a specific reference in the church bylaws or by common usage? If so, it is important for you to be familiar with the key provisions in the new and revised edition of Robert's Rules of Order to ensure that your board and membership meetings are conducted consistently with your parliamentary authority.

In late 2011, the new and fully revised 11th edition of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised was released. It replaces all earlier editions, including the most recent 10th edition that was published in 2000.

The preface to the new edition explains the need for a revision as follows:

This 11th edition of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised contains important additions to, and clarifications of, the rules in the 10th edition …. In the preparation of this edition, the entire text of the work has been subjected to a thorough review, seeking to ferret out any remaining inconsistencies or ambiguities in concept or statement.

This new edition contains more than 100 substantive changes in parliamentary procedure. It is important for church leaders to be aware of this development since most church bylaws identify "Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised" as the official parliamentary authority in the conduct of membership meetings. The preface to the 11th edition of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, states:

This 11th edition supersedes all previous editions and is intended automatically to become the parliamentary authority in organizations whose bylaws prescribe "Robert's Rules of Order," "Robert's Rules of Order Revised," "Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised," or "the current edition of" any of these titles, or the like, without specifying a particular edition.

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